August 13th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in sending a bipartisan letter calling for the extension of the statutory deadlines for the delivery of apportionment data and redistricting files following the 2020 Census. The Senators urged House and Senate leaders to include the extension in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package.

“Extending the deadlines for the delivery of these files in the next COVID-19 relief package will ensure that the Census Bureau has adequate time to complete a full, fair, and accurate 2020 Census. It will also ensure that both the Congress and the states receive accurate data for apportionment and redistricting,” the Senators wrote in their letter to House and Senate leaders.

Citing a request first made by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham to extend the deadlines for apportionment to April 30 and redistricting to July 31, the Senators underscored the need to give the Census Bureau adequate time to collect and report an accurate count following delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.